My psycho

21. Birthday Tragedy

"So, about Tyler." Rafe trailed off.

"I only love you Rafe." I said and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled and fed me the last spoon of soup.

"I love you too baby." He kissed me head and we both slumped down on the bed and hugged each other tight. We fell asleep in each other's arms. When I woke up, he was gone again. Damn it.

I went downstairs and Winston was in the kitchen. It was dawn and the birds were chirping outside.

"Hey Winston. Where is Rafe?" I asked.

"Miss, he didn't tell you?" He asked. I slowly nodded my head. "I-it's his birthday miss." He said.

"Really! I didn't know! I'll go buy a cake!" I yelled in frantic excitement.

"M-miss! Today is also the day of the 'incident'." He nervously mumbled the last word.

What a messed up joke. His father died on his birthday.

Damn it Rafe.

"Last year he did the same. The entire week before his birthday he came home battered and bruised from getting into fights. It's his way of coping." He explained as he cleaned the counter.

"I had no idea." I realized.

"I'm sorry miss. I didn't tell you last time because master would get angry. He isn't stable at this time." He put the cleaning cloth down.

"I-It's fine Winston. I have something to do, I'll be back soon." I said and left to get changed. I wore a simple sundress and took my phone and wallet. I called Rafe as I left through the gate.

"Hello." He answered.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"I'm on my way home. I had something to take care of." He replied.

"Okay, I'll be waiting." I said and hung up.

I reached the grocery store and went to the fridge with cakes. The isle was fairly empty, there was only one more person there.

"Nora!" I yelled spontaneously. There was a sudden awkward silence as the girl stared at me, taken aback.

"Y-yes?" She asked, a little shaken. I walked towards her with a nervous smile.

"Hi, my name is Alice." I introduced myself. She waited for a continuation. "U-um I'm Rafe's girlfriend." I proceeded.

"Rafe? Oh! Kent." She said and a frown formed on her lips. She turned around.

"Wait!" I called. She didn't move. "Rafe misses you guys." I told her. "It's his birthday today!" I reminded her. I walked around to face her. I saw her face with tears. "Nora? Are you okay?" I asked and walked closer.

"I missed him even more. I c-can't face him yet!" She sobbed. "We left him with that man. We just can't face him!" She cried.

"He forgives you! He just wants you guys back with him!" I said and held her shoulders.

"It's been almost 4 years! We left him! We were so damn scared of his reaction! We messed him up! At some point we were even scared of him taking revenge! After the anger subsided, we were too scared and ashamed! I miss him so damn much!" She cried.

"Hey! I'm sure he forgives you guys! It's his birthday, he needs you." I assured her.

"This is so last minute. I don't know, I'm so scared to actually face him." She admitted.

"I swear, he became better. He would never hurt you." I promised. She sighed. We walked awkwardly together. "S-so, wanna help me pick a cake?" I asked.

"I know his favorite one. I come here each year on his birthday. I wanted to get the cake and surprise him, but I always chicken out." She said.

"Nora, maybe this was meant to happen. I'm here now, and I'm telling you to do this." I pleaded and held her hand.

"It just feels like I'll die from guilt sometimes." Nora suddenly confessed.

"I swear, it'll be fine." I reassured her.

"This is so random." She laughed nervously and wiped her glassy eyes.

"Come on show me where the cake is already!" I laughed and we smiled at each other. We both felt nervous, but would try to pull ourselves together, for his sake. We reached a small bakery with a wooden interior and cozy atmosphere. She pointed at a cake through the glass. It was a honey cake.

"Hey! I would like to but this one!" She called at the man behind the counter. He got it ready and she insisted on paying.

"He's still my brother." She joked and took the box.

"Hey, I know this is weird, but what about your mom and Mason?" I asked.

"Mason's like a bipolar idiot when it comes to Kent." She rolled her eyes. "He can't get over what Kent did, but he still sees him as a brother. He's torn up." She explained to me. "Mom, you see, she's scared. She got depressed. Knowing she took part in what happened, she felt responsible— for both Kent and dad." She sadly continued.

"Y-you think we can convince them to come?" I reluctantly asked.

"My mom and I talked about reaching out to him many times, but she was too scared he'd reject us, maybe even hurt us." She said. "But if you're so sure he won't feel that way, that's the sign we've been waiting for." She admitted.

"Rafe will be so happy with you guys there!" I squealed. She laughed and we walked to a nearby park.

"I'll call Mase and Mom, hold on." She said and walked away. I sat on a bench with the cake on my lap. She made long long calls. I watched her pace, yell, rant, smile, and laugh all in one call. She then made another call and it wasn't that different. In that one though, she cried a little. I watched her in complete focus until she was done. She skipped my way and sat down.

"Mom and Mase are on their way here!" She excitedly screamed.

"I can't believe it!" I yelled.

"Mase is even getting the candles!" She laughed "He's a secret softie." She whispered.

"You guys are dating right?" I asked.

"Me and him have a weird love story. It started even before he moved in with us. Imagine your crush living with you, I was so excited when he came. We even dated secretly for a while. My mom loves him too!" She said. "I'll tell you all about it one day." She smiled. I nodded and we saw Mason and her mom coming our way.

"Hey, Alice." Mason awkwardly greeted me and shook my hand.

"H-hello dear." She politely said and shook my hand too.

"So, Let's get going!" Nora said and took Mason's hand. A smile formed on his face and he pulled her close as she giggled. "You got the candles right?" She asked and looked up at him. He hummed and smiled at her. They sure were love birds. I hope she doesn't kill him if she finds out Monica was sticking to him like a leach.

I couldn't believe it. I actually got them together. If only I knew it would be that easy. By chance, everything finally played out right for him. I smiled at myself as we all walked to his home. It was a small town so, it was a five minute walk. We arrived at the mansion and I entered first to make sure he wasn't downstairs. I walked in and only saw Winston.

"Is he upstairs?" I asked.

"Yes, but not in good shape miss." He said.

"Well, he is about to be." I smirked. He furrowed his eyebrows. "His family is outside!" I blurted excitedly. He suddenly dropped a plate and it shattered.

"His what!" He yelled. I laughed at seeing Winston worked up for the first time.

"I'll gather them in the living room then get him." I told him. He nodded and followed me to the door.

"Winston!" Mason yelled in excitement. Winston's face lit up at seeing them all and a sweet smile formed on his face. A tear escaped him and he sniffled and wiped it away.

He sniffled "I can't believe it."